It's Our Destiny
by em-ily8458
Summary: Ash Ketchum is 16 now, and has conquered all the regions, except for the Abuna Region. Ivy Ketchum, age 15, has come home to compete in the Abuna League after conquering all the other regions. What happens when the two and their two Pikachus meet? What will they discover about their intertwined destinies? K plus to be safe :)
1. Chapter 1

**I know many of you were looking forward to the continuation of my other fanfics on here, but this is what I'm posting for now. The rest are on hiatus, but, hey, what can I say other than sorry? I think this is my best fanfic yet, so please let me know what you think! And, yes, just a heads up, there will be many doppelgänger characters :) **

**Please remember to review and tell me what you think!**

* * *

After five years of traveling the world to collect Gym Badges and Contest Ribbons, Ivy Ketchum had returned to her home region, the Abuna region. She'd saved her home region for last, because she wanted to be the best she could be when she returned to compete in the Abuna League and the Abuna Contest circuit. Now that she'd conquered the Kalos, Unova, Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto, Orange Islands and Kanto Leagues and Contest circuits, she'd conquered everything but her home region. She was the best Trainer she'd ever been thus far, the closest she'd ever been with her Pokémon, and she knew it was time to conquer the Abuna Region and all it had to offer for Trainers and Coordinators like herself.

"Home sweet home, huh, Pikachu?" Ivy asked with a grin, to her best pal, Pikachu, who rode on her shoulder.

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu beamed in response.

The two had been partners ever since they started on their journey. Pikachu was Ivy's starter Pokémon, because she arrived late and Professor Yew was all out of the other starters she had to offer; the typical Starters in the region were the eight Eeveelutions. At first, the two struggled to get along, but after Ivy earned Pikachu's trust by saving his life from a flock of angry Beedrill, the two grew to have an incomprehensible bond.

"It'll be nice to see my dad again, huh?" Ivy inquired.

"Pika," Pikachu nodded.

Ivy grinned, as she leaned over the rail of the boat, seeing the Star City docks coming closer and closer. It was her hometown, and it seemed like she hadn't been there in ages. She was looking forward to seeing her father, David, who ran the Star City Gym, which specialized in Ground-types. She was also looking forward to seeing her friend Daisy, a Coordinator whom she'd met while travelling, who'd arranged her schedule so she could travel the Abuna region with Ivy. She was also looking forward to seeing one of her oldest childhood friends, Peter, who was the Gym Leader for the next town over, Mine Town. They'd been friends since they were toddlers, and she couldn't wait to see him again.

"We'll be docking in Star City in about five minutes, folks," announced the captain via a loudspeaker that rang over the boat. "Please start gathering your things from your cabins and prepare for arrival."

Momentarily, Pikachu leapt from Ivy's shoulder, causing the spiked tuft of fur on his head to ruffle in the wind, as Ivy picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. Once she did, Pikachu assumed his position on its Trainer's shoulder. They watched as the boat approached the dock, and when it did, they followed the line of other passengers to go back on land. Ivy's stomach fluttered with excitement, at being back home. She'd missed it so much, and she couldn't wait to see everyone.

Ivy, with Pikachu on her shoulder, finally set foot on Abuna ground. Smiles, ear to ear, broke out on both of their faces. With eyes wide with admiration, Ivy and Pikachu walked through the familiar streets. There was the ice cream shop that she frequented as a child, the farmer's market in the park, the big glassy office building, the Pokémon Center, Officer Jenny's Police Center, and her favorite diner that served the best pancakes ever.

She walked all the way down Main Street, then off the road to the right, where she came upon the familiar Star City Gym that, at first, appeared to be nothing more than a glass door and a Pokémon Gym Logo sticking out of the side of a rounded hill. The smile on her face only grew, as she laid eyes on the little wooden house to the right that sat behind a rainbow picket fence.

Ivy couldn't contain herself. She let out a giggling cry of joy, as did Pikachu, and she went into a dead-on sprint towards the small house. She flew through the gate of the fence, up the stairs of the porch, and into the house. Sitting on the couch, with his beloved Sandslash, was Ivy's father, David Ketchum.

As soon as the man saw his daughter, his eyes teared over. He rose, in silence, to see his daughter, as he approached her with his arms open for a hug. The two hugged for quite some time, and then David held his daughter by the shoulders, looking her over. She looked so much more like a woman than a girl, which she'd looked like the last time he saw her. He was so proud of the Pokémon Trainer his daughter had become that it overwhelmed him with emotion.

"Ivy, I'm so happy to see you again," he told his daughter. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Dad," she responded with a smile as her father tugged on one of her long black braids lovingly.

"And, it's good to see you, as always, Pikachu," David added, scratching Pikachu's spiky tuft of hair.

"Pika!" replied the Pokémon, enjoying being petted.

"Phanpy!" exclaimed a small, blue, elephant-like Pokémon as it burst into the room. "Phanpy, Phan!"

"Hi, Phanpy!" Ivy exclaimed in return, falling to her knees to greet her old friend as the Pokémon leapt into her arms. "I've missed you, buddy!"

"Phan!" Phanpy grinned.

Pikachu and Phanpy went on to greet each other lovingly, as Ivy remembered how she raised Phanpy. After two of her father's Donphan produced an egg, she took care of it with love and diligence, and when Phanpy hatched she became his prime caretaker, feeding, cleaning, teaching and playing with him. But, he had to stay behind when she started her journey, because he was still too young to go anywhere, and her father hoped she'd get the same kind of starter all the other kids got, even though that didn't end up happening.

"And Sandslash!" Ivy greeted, as her father's main Pokémon crashed into her with a hug. Laughing, she hugged back, and added, "Good to see you too, Sandslash!"

"Slash!" Sandslash replied, upon releasing the girl.

Chuckling, David said, "The gang's all here."

Over the next few hours, father and daughter became reacquanted with each other, and, of course, the Pokémon joined in the welcoming festivities as well. David ordered take out from Ivy's favorite diner, and the two had her absolute favorite pancakes for dinner. He even provided Ivy with her favorite dessert - the peppermint ice cream from the ice cream parlor on main street. The Pokémon even got their own special Pokémon treats, special PokéBlock Ivy had learned to make while in Hoenn.

When everyone was finished eating, they were so full that they felt like they'd burst. Everyone, except for David, because he had a surprise planned for his daughter. As she wiped her mouth with a white napkin, he rose from the table, retrieving the surprise gift that he had for her. It was an egg, a pink egg spotted with white stars, that sat safely within an egg case with a Pokéball fixed on top. Grinning, he carried it out to the dining room, behind his back so that Ivy wouldn't see.

"What's that, Dad?" Ivy asked, dabbing her mouth with her napkin. It was quite obvious that her father had something behind his back.

"Just a gift for you, honey," he smiled. Whipping the egg out from behind his back, he presented it to his daughter, saying, "I know how much you liked raising Phanpy, so I figured I'd give you the chance to raise another Pokémon."

"Oh, wow, Dad," Ivy muttered in awe, as she approached him and the egg. Carefully, she accepted it, taking it into her arms, and looking down at it with great joy. Smiling up at her father, she told him, genuinely, "Thank you. Thank you, so much."

"Not a problem, sweetheart," David assured his daughter with a smile of his own. "Just remember me when you look at that little Pokémon when you leave for you journey through Abuna."

"What kind of Pokémon will hatch from this egg, dad?" Ivy inquired.

With a grin, her father responded, "That's the surprise."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2, yup. As always, I appreciate reviews/feedback/comments! Thanks everyone!**

* * *

By the next morning, Ivy had prepared herself and said her goodbyes to her dad and the Pokémon that lived at home. She would've loved to have stayed longer, but the Abuna League and Grand Festivals were only in a few months, so she had to get moving if she wanted to make it to them both. So, she said goodbye to her father once again, and with Pikachu on her shoulder and her new Pokémon egg in her arms, she set off.

Her first stop: Professor Yew's laboratory, to pick up Pokémon for her journey.

Though she had captured many Pokémon during her journey, she knew she could only pick four Pokémon up from Professor Yew, since she already had Pikachu and the egg from her father. She already knew which four she'd pick - the Pokémon she had the strongest bonds with. She had strong bonds with all her Pokémon, so saying which bonds were stronger wasn't easy, but at the end of the day, she just knew. And she knew the four she'd be taking with her. They were strong, powerful, pure hearted, and truly some of her best friends.

Ivy came upon Professor Yew's laboratory, which was on the outskirts of town, closer to her house than the rest of town. It was a great old building, with sprawling gardens surrounding the whole property, in which a myriad of Pokémon ran about, playing, eating, sleeping and doing whatever else it is that Pokémon like to do. Ivy smiled at the sight of all the happy Pokémon, as she approached the front door, on which she knocked.

After a minute or so of waiting around, Professor Yew came to the door, just as frazzled as Ivy remembered her being. She hadn't changed - tanned skin, cotton candy colored hair in a bun with chopsticks, though curls still fell in her face, with her green blouse, pink tie, pink skirt, lab coat and work boots, with her bright eyes behind green-rimmed glasses.

"Ivy Ketchum!" the Professor exclaimed, with a smile. Momentarily, she looked as though she'd forgotten the appointment they'd set up, but then she added, "Yes, I was expecting you! And you brought Pikachu, too! Come on in!"

"Thank you, Professor," Ivy replied with a grin.

"Pika!" piped up Pikachu.

They followed Professor Yew inside. The laboratory was full of research equipment and other important scientific equipment, however, it was a disastrous mess. No one but Professor Yew could find a thing in the disaster zone she called a laboratory. Because of this, Ivy stuck close to Professor Yew, until they arrived in the room where the Professor stored and transported Pokéballs. As soon as they entered the room, Ivy recognized her Pokéballs, because she'd painted them all to match the Pokémon that she kept inside.

"Alright," sighed Professor Yew, as she approached the table where she'd put Ivy's Pokéballs. She picked up the four they'd discussed, and said, "These are the four you'd like for now, right?"

"Yes," Ivy said, as Professor Yew put the Pokéballs into her backpack, since her hands were full carrying the egg. "Thank you, Professor."

"No problem," Professor Yew grinned. Then, her face flashed, meaning that she'd suddenly remembered something. This was confirmed when she pulled two PokéDexes and two badge cases from her pocket, one red, and one blue, each, and said to Ivy, "Oh, yes, and these red PokéDex and badge case are for you, Ivy."

"Thanks," Ivy grinned, accepting it. "What about the other ones?"

"Oh, yeah," Professor Yew piped up, handing Ivy a ribbon case for her Contest ribbons. "I forgot."

"No, no, Professor," Ivy laughed as she took the ribbon case. "I meant the blue badge case and PokéDex."

"Ah!" the Professor replied with realization. She handed those to Ivy, and explained, "I need you to deliver these to a boy named Ash from the Kanto region. He's at the Pokémon Center here in town. If you ask Nurse Joy, I'm sure you can find him."

"I'm on it, Professor," Ivy assured her with a nod, as the Professor began to show her out.

"Thank you!" the Professor called, waving to Ivy as she exited the laboratory. "Good luck in Abuna!"

"Thanks, Professor!" Ivy replied, as she and Pikachu waved their goodbyes. "I'll call you when I can!"

"Great, I can't wait!" Professor Yew grinned.

Ivy and Pikachu were off once again, heading back to the downtown portion of Star City. She was greeted by many familiar faces of townspeople that she knew, who she said hello to on her way to the Pokémon Center. It felt so good to be home. She could feel that the people she'd known her whole life were proud of her, and that felt good. It felt good to make those in her hometown proud.

Finally, she made it to the Pokémon Center. She'd been going there far before she started her Pokémon journey, when she took her father's Pokémon to the Center after their Gym Battles. She known the Nurse Joy at this Pokémon Center since she was just a little girl.

Walking inside was like a breath of fresh air. She'd missed this place, and she was more than glad to be back.

"Ivy Ketchum, is that you?" asked Nurse Joy from behind the reception desk. As always, her face was bright with a smile, just like the Chansey at her side.

"Good to see you, Nurse Joy," Ivy grinned in response. She pulled out the blue PokéDex and badge, and said, "Professor Yew sent me over here to give these to a Trainer named Ash from Kanto. She said you could help me find him, and that he'd be here."

"Oh, yes, she called earlier and said you'd be coming," Nurse Joy nodded. "Chansey here can lead you to Ash out in the cafeteria, won't you, Chansey?"

"Chansey!" smiled the Pokémon, as it walked around the desk.

Taking one of Ivy's hands, Chansey began to lead her and down the hall of the Pokémon Center. They arrived in the cafeteria, which was bubbling with Pokémon and their Trainers. Both Ivy's eyes and Pikachu's darted around, wondering where the Trainer Ash was. Finally, Chansey pointed to a boy who was sitting back-to. Ivy thanked the Pokémon, and approached the boy who looked to be her age.

"Excuse me, but are you Ash?" Ivy inquired, as she approached him.

As he heard her speaking to him, he turned around, moving his chair a bit as he did so, revealing a Pikachu of his own sitting on his lap. The boy called Ash and Ivy stared at each other, as did their Pikachus. The two humans were dressed similarly, outfitted in all red, white, blue and gray, in clothing that was more practical than stylish. They both wore red and white baseball caps, though Ivy's was turned backwards. They both wore sneakers. They had eerily similar features - brown eyes, disheveled black hair and skin that was tanned from spending so much time outside. And they both had Pikachus, even if they were distinguished by the tuft of spiky fur atop Ivy's Pikachu's head.

After quite some time of staring at each other and their uncanny similarities, the two Pikachus leapt to the ground to further greet and examine each other, as Ash cleared his throat and finally said, "Um, yeah. I'm Ash."

"Well," Ivy swallowed, feeling uneasy because of the sight of her practical male clone. "I'm Ivy, and Professor Yew sent me over to give you these."

Awkwardly, Ivy thrust the blue PokéDex and badge case at the boy, and he accepted them in an equally awkward fashion. He accepted them from her, and she picked up her Pikachu from the floor, while keeping her egg in her other arm, and then he leapt back up on her shoulder, and began to walk away, hesitantly so.

"Um, hey, Ivy," Ash piped up again. "...Thanks."

"No problem," Ivy replied, still feeling uneasy. "See you around, I guess."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! Please tell me what you think! :)**

* * *

By that afternoon, after Ivy had forced the weirdness of that guy Ash out of her head, she decided to stop by a local pond on her way to the next town for lunch and a rest. She set her egg down by her backpack, and kept an eye on it as Pikachu helped her lay out a picnic blanket. Once that was done, she got out some of her homemade Pokémon food out. She then brought her backpack and the egg over to her picnic blanket, and let out a content sigh.

Taking her four other PokéBalls out, Ivy asked, "Ready to see some of your old friends again?"

"Pika!" Pikachu replied excitedly.

"Alright," Ivy smiled. She tossed her four Pokéballs up in the air, and called, "C'mon out, everyone!"

From the PokéBalls emerged four Pokémon: Ivysaur, Gyarados, Arcanine and Dragonite. All four seemed more than ecstatic to see their Trainer once again. They all attacked her with affection. Ivysaur pounced on her and licked her face, as did Arcanine, Dragonite lifted her into the air with a hug, and dropped her down to Gyarados in the pond, who tossed her up onto its head with its tail, and she held onto its crest, laughing as the enormous Pokémon swam around the lake with her in the air.

Once Gyarados placed her safely on the ground, Ivy was recovering from her absolute fit of laughter.

"I'm glad to see you guys too!" she exclaimed, beaming at all of her Pokémon. "It's been quite some time, but I hope you're ready to compete in my home league, the Abuna League, and go to all my home region Contests!"

All of the Pokémon cheered in response, as their Trainer beamed back at them. Ivy trotted over to pick up her new egg, which she held up to present to her Pokémon.

"And pretty soon, this egg'll hatch, and we'll have a new member of the family!" Ivy told her Pokémon.

Again, all her Pokémon cheered happily. Ivy felt full of joy, reunited with her old friends and a new one on the way. She felt ready to take on the Abuna League.

* * *

Ash Ketchum sat in his room at the Pokémon Center, trying to strategize for his upcoming battle with the Star City Gym Leader. Nurse Joy had told him that the Gym Leader specialized in Ground-type Pokémon, so he knew Pikachu would be of no use...speaking of Pikachu, he just couldn't get that Ivy girl and her Pikachu out of his head.

It was just...strange. That Ivy girl looked so much like him, if he'd been a girl. Same hair color, same eye color, same skin tone...they even dressed similarly, like boy and girl versions of the the same outfit. It was uncanny, even to Ash, who was usually oblivious to almost everything that everyone else found obvious. Ivy even had a Pikachu, who would've been identical to his, if it didn't have the tuft of spiky hair on the top of its head.

Could it all be one big coincidence? It must be.

A sudden knock at the door broke Ash from his thoughts. Sighing, he rose, leaving Pikachu sitting on the bed to watch him. Thinking that he'd find Nurse Joy or Chansey on the other side of the door, Ash was more than surprised when an unfamiliar girl with bubblegum colored curly pigtails beneath a baby blue bandana nearly knocked him off his feet with a hug.

"IVY I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU WERE HERE!" the girl screeched in a nearly unbearably annoying voice. "I THOUGHT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO MEET UP IN GRAPEVINE TOWN!"

In the nicest way possible, Ash removed the girl from him, holding her at shoulder length with an uneasy smile, as he said, "Um, sorry, I'm not Ivy. My name's Ash.

The girl stared at him for a minute with her bright blue eyes, and then suddenly leapt and winced in embarrassment. Taking a step back, the girl's face flushed, as she uncomfortably replied, "Oh, wow, I'm so, _so _sorry...I thought...I thought you were my friend, Ivy….sorry, I don't mean you look like a _girl, _really...it's just you look a lot like her from the back, if she got a haircut, and you're wearing the same colors as she usually wears, and her Pikachu always rides on her shoulder….and wow, this is so embarrassing…"

Laughing, though laughing awkwardly, Ash scratched the back of his head, and responded, "Oh, no big deal. I met Ivy earlier. She has the Pikachu with the spiky hair and she wears her hair in long braids, right?"

"Yeah," the girl in the overalls nodded, eyes widening. "That's Ivy."

"Yeah, I get it, we look similar and both have a Pikachu," Ash said. "Anyway, I didn't get your name."

"Oh, I'm Daisy!" the girl grinned, flashing a cutesy smile and a peace sign with her hands in pink and green gloves. "I'm from Mauville City, in the Hoenn Region!"

"And I'm from Pallet Town, in the Kanto Region," Ash informed her. "Since you're from Hoenn, do you know May Maple? I used to travel with her."

Immediately, Daisy's eyes lit up, as she held her face with excitement, exclaiming, "You mean THE May Maple?! Daughter of the Petalburg City Gym Leader, Norman?! You actually travelled with her?! WOW!"

Backing off awkwardly, Ash was relieved with Pikachu bumbled over curiously, as he said, "This is my partner, Pikachu."

"Oh, what a sweetheart!" Daisy exclaimed, helping herself to pinching Pikachu's red cheeks.

She succeeded in making the Pokémon as uncomfortable as she'd made his Trainer. However, before she could do anything else, all three of their stomachs roared with hunger, causing everyone to blush.

"You want to grab some lunch with me, Ash and Pikachu of Pallet Town?" Daisy asked.

Since Ash was polite and didn't know anyone else in the region, he nodded, and said, "Sure."

* * *

About an hour later, Daisy, Ash, and Pikachu had finished eating their lunch in the cafeteria. By now, Daisy seemed less crazy to the two, and they'd all been getting along pretty well. Daisy was even full of useful information about the Abuna Region - like the fact that the Star City Gym Leader only accepted challengers on Fridays, and that today was Saturday, so Ash would have to wait a week to challenge him. But, the next town over had a Gym that accepted challengers any day of the week, so it'd make more sense if he went there for his first Gym Battle.

Also, Daisy said her first Contest would be held there in a few days. So, they planned to travel there together, where Daisy wanted to meet up with her old friend, Ivy, a fact that Ash didn't know how to process.


	4. Chapter 4

So guys...4 chapters and no feedback?! I'd really love to know your thoughts/opinions/suggestions! Also, if there are any particular characters from the anime you'd like to see here...

* * *

"G'night, everyone!" Ivy called from her yellow sleeping bag. "See you in the morning!"

A round of Pokémon responses came back to her, as they all settled into their sleeping positions. Arcanine and Ivysaur were cuddled up together, sharing a blanket on the grass and a pile of blankets atop of them with Dragonite, while had curled up in the shallow water at the edge of the pond. Ivy and Pikachu shared her sleeping bag, as they always did, except now, they also had to make room for the egg. Things were close quarters, but they were all cozy and ready for a good night's sleep before another day of travelling.

Underneath the pond, which was more of a small lake that that trickled into a river, a large, impressive submarine made its way through the water. It was manned by a team of black-clad operatives, a few of whom kept an eye on the happenings above the water via telescopes. They were all going about their business in silence, like a machine, as they programmed the submarine to keep going and plugged information into the computers.

A door opened in the back of the submarine, allowing a dark figure to make his entrance into the main submarine room. All of the black-clad operatives stopped in their tracks, saluting the black-suited man as he walked down the center part amongst the others, with an intimidating Persian at his side and his hands behind his back.

"You've found the girl?" he inquired, as he reached the front of the room.

"Yes, sir," replied one of the female operatives, nodding. Gesturing to the nearest telescope, she added, "Take a look, sir."

"Mhm," nodded the man who seemed to be in charge. Through the telescope, he could see the dark-haired girl and her Pikachu sleeping in the grass. Looking back to the operatives, he said, "That's her, alright. And do we have the coordinates of the boy's position yet?"

"No, sir," one of the other operatives piped up. "But we have reason to believe that he is in the Abuna Region."

"Hm," the man in charged pondered. "Call Dr. Zager and let him know we'll need him to assemble a plan and team to track the boy and the Pokémon. I'll have my own team assembled to keep an eye on the girl."

"On it, sir," another operative said, making his way to the nearest phone.

* * *

Not too much longer after that, in a not-too-distant part of the very forest Ivy and gang were sleeping in, Ash and Daisy were finishing up their dinner. They ate late, since it took them awhile to leave Star City for Grapevine Town and to find a clearing suitable for a night of camping. However, Ash and Pikachu lucked out, because Daisy was a fantastic chef, and prepared them a delicious soup for dinner in no time at all.

"Thanks, Daisy," Ash grinned, as he and Pikachu cleaned the dishes. "I'm no chef myself, but I always luck out when it comes to finding people who are good at cooking in my travels."

After chuckling, Daisy replied, "No problem, Ash. I think you're a nice guy, so I don't mind feeding you and that adorable little Pikachu of yours."

As soon as she said that, she dropped to her knees once again, to squeeze Pikachu's red cheeks as her eyes and face glazed over with adoration. Meanwhile, both Ash and Pikachu smiled, though they felt uneasy.

The three of them didn't know it, but not too far off in the bushes were Ash's age-old foes - Team Rocket's very own Jessie, James and Meowth. They were watching Ash and Daisy, who they referred to as "farm girl," because of her overalls and bandana, through binoculars equipped with night vision.

"Why do we always havta run inta that twerp with the Pikachu?" whined Meowth. "Wherever we go, the twerps go."

"Yeah, but the little farm girl is new," James observed.

"She may be new, but she has no sense of style," Jessie added with a slight grimace. "Those overalls are absolutely hideous."

Before any of them could say another thing, Jessie's cell phone went off. Pulling it from one of her bags, she held it to her ear, and answered, "Hello?"

James and Meowth watched and listened as Jessie continued the conversation: "Yes, hello, Dr. Zager...Yes...Yes…I understand...Yes, yes we will...Alright….Goodbye, sir."

As she ended the call, James inquired, "What was that all about?"

"Dr. Zager wants us to work on a special project with him," Jessie informed the other two. "He wants us to keep an eye on the twerp and his Pikachu, to track their movements and know where they are at all time. And there's a more important part to the project he wants us to help him with - he wants us to help him find and capture the Abuna Region's legendary Pokémon."

As Jessie grinned deviously, her two partners looked at her with wide eyes, ones that were full of awe, but quickly became full of the same deviousness that possessed Jessie's eyes. The trio shared a fit of evil laughter for a moment, before James piped up.

"Well, what exactly _is _the Abuna Region's legendary Pokémon?" he inquired.

"It's called Castrophus," Jessie informed them further. "You know how they say Arceus created the world? Well, it's said that Castrophus is the one who's going to destroy it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five is here! Let me know what you think! Let me know what characters from the anime you'd like to see! I'd love to hear your thoughts! **

* * *

The next morning, both parties of our heroes had went back on the move. Of course, since Ivy, her Pikachu, and the egg had a head start before Ash and Daisy, they first made it to Grapevine Town. This is where Ivy was going to meet up with her old friend, Peter, who she called via the videophone function on her watch.

Coming into Grapevine City was truly like taking a breath of fresh air. It was a small town, nestled in the middle of the lush green Abuna forests. The homes were small, yet colorful, with beautiful gardens instead of plain grass lawns. People bumbled about the dirt streets and roads, tending their gardens, and buying fresh fruits and vegetables from the numerous farm stands that dotted the roads and streets.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, catching a glimpse of bright red apples at a farmer's stand nearby.

Realizing what her Pokémon wanted, Ivy grinned, and asked, "Want an apple for breakfast, buddy?"

"Pi, Pikachu!" the yellow Pokémon nodded.

"Alright, I'll get you an apple," Ivy told him.

Keeping her egg in one arm, she pulled the necessary money out of her pocket, and used it to buy Pikachu's apple. She handed it up to her Pokémon, who accepted it gratefully, and happily began munching away. Readjusting her egg in her arms, she turned around, and saw a familiar boy with messy green hair, brown pants and a navy blue t-shirt.

"Peter!" Ivy exclaimed, more than excited to see her old friend.

She sprinted over to him, as the two of them laughed, so happy to see each other once again. He gave her a hug, and she hugged him back, the best she could, with the egg and all. When they were done hugging, Pikachu leapt into his arms and licked his face in greeting, as Peter scratched the tuft of spiky fur on the Pokémon's head.

"Good to see you, too, Pikachu," Peter laughed, as he finished saying his hellos to Pikachu. As the Pokémon leapt back on its Trainer's shoulder, he added, "And it's great to finally see you, Ivy."

"Great to see you too, Peter," Ivy replied, as the two started walking towards the Grapevine Gym. They talked for sometime, catching up with what Ivy had been up to, before Ivy asked, "How's school going?"

Unlike most kids their age, Peter wasn't on a Pokémon journey. He was in school in Charge City, to be a Pokémon Medical Researcher, someone who studied all aspects of Pokémon scientifically, but specifically how to treat Pokémon medically. Though he was still in school, he was on a special project that allowed him to travel with Ivy. He was supposed to travel the whole region to track all the Pokémon that lived in the region, so the school and research center had a roster of all of them.

"Oh, it's great," Peter replied. "I love it. I mean, it's so fulfilling, helping people and their Pokémon. The head professor at school already offered me a permanent position at the Pokémon hospital after I finish my studies."

"Wow, I'm so proud of you, Peter," Ivy grinned. "That'll be perfect for you, considering how amazing you are with Pokémon."

"Thanks, Ivy," Peter smiled. "So are you going to challenge the Grapevine Gym Leader today?"

"I don't know," Ivy shrugged. She'd felt...off...since running into that Ash yesterday. "I don't know if I still want to do both Contests and Gym battles or pick one area and focus on it."

"Hm," Peter sighed, nodding. "You've done well with both, but I can understand wanting to pick. It's your choice."

"Yeah," Ivy sighed in response. "I think...I think I want another day to think about challenging the Gym Leader."

"Alright," Peter nodded, sensing there was something off about his old friend. "You want to go to the Grapevine Park? There's supposed to be a great Pokémon Talent Show going on there today."

* * *

While Peter and Ivy made their way to Grapevine Park, Ash and Daisy were just making their way into town. As they did, the same ripe, juicy apples caught Ash's Pikachu's eyes, just like they had Ivy's. Of course, they caught Ash's eyes as well, since Ash's stomach was like a bottomless pit. So, they approached the farm stand where the man was selling apples, coins ready to pay in hand.

"Back for more, eh, missy?" asked the old man behind the stand, as he turned to help Ash and Pikachu. The two looked back at him, confused, and suddenly the old man's small eyes popped open, as he exclaimed, "Oh, excuse me! You're a young man!"

"Um...yeah," Ash replied, as he and Pikachu blinked in confusement.

"I'm sorry," the old man fervently apologized. "A young lady came by earlier, with a Pikachu of her own, and she was dressed so similarly to you...even looked like you, in a way...I'm sorry."

"That must've been Ivy!" Daisy grinned. "That means she's in town!"

"Yeah," Ash nodded halfheartedly. Handing the man the money, he piped up, "Can I get three apples, please?"

"Yes, yes," the man replied, handing three over to Ash. "For free, to apologize."

"Wow, really?" Ash inquired. When the man nodded, he replied, "Thanks!"

As they left, he handed one of the apples to Daisy, as he and Pikachu ate theirs in nearly one bite. Daisy noticed this and laughed at the two, who blushed and laughed back nervously as they went down the road. When a girl walking the other direction accidently knocked into Ash as she passed them, neither he nor Daisy thought much of it. Ash and the girl apologized to each other, and kept on.

Daisy and Ash and Pikachu ignored the incident, as they continued on, trying to find Ivy. However, the girl who'd bumped into him let out an evil chuckle as she looked up from under the brim of her sun hat - revealing her true identity. It was none other than Jessie of Team Rocket, in a disguise.

When Ash and Daisy were far enough away and certainly weren't paying attention, Jessie leapt into the bushes, pulling off her disguise in the process. James and Meowth were there waiting for her, as James took out a holographic touch screen device, which showed a point moving on a map.

"I see you installed the tracking device successfully on the twerp's backpack," James said to Jessie. "I'm tracking the twerp's movements as we speak."

As Jessie peered onto James' device, Meowth explained, "Dat blue dot is da twerp, and da red one is da girl. We can see 'em both on here right now, but da twerp is our main concern."

"Great," Jessie nodded. "I'll call Dr. Zager and tell him we can meet him at the discussed location to begin the search for the target."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6, and Ash's first Gym Battle! As always, feedback/reviews are greatly appreciated and help me stay motivated! Also, what anime characters would you like to see featured? **

**Who do you want Ash to end up being shipped with? And who do you want Ivy ending up being shipped with? Any anime characters are up for consideration. :)**

**I already have some ideas for this, but I'd love to see what you're thinking :) **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"So that's the Grapevine Gym?" Ash asked, as he and Daisy approached a large building that looked more like a gigantic greenhouse than a gym.

"Yup," Daisy nodded. "But can't we go meet up with Ivy first?"

"Well, you can," Ash replied. "But we want to go to our first Gym Battle, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with his Trainer.

"Alright…," sighed Daisy. "I wanna watch your battle, so can we go look for Ivy when you're all finished?"

"Sure," Ash agreed. He agreed, but he still didn't know how he felt about this Ivy girl and seeing her again. As the two started towards the Gym, he asked, "So, this is a Grass-type gym, right?"

"I'm assuming so," Daisy shrugged. "I'm not from this region, remember?"

"Oh, right," Ash sighed. "You're from Hoenn."

"Mhm," Daisy nodded.

So, she and Ash and Pikachu entered the Gym. Inside, the air was filled with the fragrant aroma of flowers and plants of all kinds, which grew all over the place. It was beautiful inside; a contained jungle. Grass Pokémon of all kinds played and relaxed in the plants, looking as happy as Pokémon could look. Ash, Daisy, and Pikachu all stared in awe as the sliding glass doors shut behind them.

"Hello there," came the voice of a human, who was clearly female. "Have you come to challenge me?"

"Yeah," Ash replied, as he looked around for who the voice belonged to. "I'm Ash, from Pallet Town, in the Kanto Region, and I came here for a Gym Battle...but...um...where are you?"

Daisy flushed in embarrassment for her new friend, and winced.

"Here I am!" called the voice again.

All three of them looked up, as a silhouette of a girl swooped down on a vine, landing in a standing position in a tree branch that was in clear view. Her skin was dark and clear, her hair olive and in two little spiky ponytails at the base of her neck. She wore a purple bandana, that matched the belly shirt she wore over an olive tank top, with denim capris. Her gloves were purple and green, matching the rest of her ensemble, while her lace-up boots were dotted with mud, presumably from working in the gardens with all her Grass-type Pokémon.

"I am Olive, the Grapevine Town Gym Leader!" she announced valiantly. "If you wish to challenge me, you must understand my rules: it will be a two on two battle, and only you, the challenger, are allowed to substitute Pokémon!"

"Alright!" Ash replied, getting pumped up for battle.

"Okay then!" Olive hollered down. "Here I come!"

She went to reach back to the vine so she could come down from the tree, however, her aim wasn't good. Instead of gracefully swinging down to the ground from the tree, she fell flat on her face, flailing her arms and screeching in the process. But, she got up quickly, dusted herself off, and smiled through her obvious embarrassment.

"Okay, follow me to the battlefield!" Olive called, regaining her composure. She gestured for them to follow her, as she started down a path in the indoor garden.

Glancing at each other, Ash and Daisy shrugged, and followed Olive through her greenhouse jungle. Finally, after literally feeling like they'd walked an entire jungle, they came upon a clearing that was the battlefield. It was a grass rectangle, with white-painted grass marking the lines of the battlefield. Olive had already assumed her position in one of the marked boxes on the end of the battlefield, so Ash took stance on the other end, with Pikachu by his side. After glancing around for a minute, Daisy found a vine-covered bench on the sidelines, which she then took a seat on.

A referee came forward from the plants, waving the battle flags. She repeated the rules that Olive had already told Ash, waved the flags once again, and the battle was finally ready to begin.

"Alright," Olive called, readying her PokéBall. "Let's get this started with my flowering first Pokémon! Get ready to battle, Ludicolo!"

"Ludicolo!" exclaimed the duck/pineapple-like Pokémon apparated on the battlefield. It did a little happy dance, as if it wasn't about to battle.

"Cool, Ludicolo," Ash muttered, looking at the opposing Pokémon.

For some extra help, he pulled out his new PokéDex, which told him: "Ludicolo, the Carefree Pokémon. Ludicolo becomes extremely active whenever it hears a cheery rhythm. This can also lead it to exert extreme power in battle."

"Okay," Ash nodded, knowing what he was going to do. He brought his first-caught Pokémon along, and he was ready to use one now. Pulling a PokéBall from his pocket, he called, "Pidgeot, I choose you!"

"Pidgeot!" exclaimed the great bird Pokémon, as it flew a lap around the battlefield before landing in the grass.

"Nice, a Kanto Pokémon!" Olive complimented.

"Thanks!" Ash replied, grinning a bit, but still ready for battle.

"Too bad this isn't a beauty contest!" laughed the Gym Leader. "Okay, Ludicolo, let's get this started with Blizzard!"

"Colo!" agreed the Pokémon, sending out the attack.

"Blizzard?!" Ash asked, shocked. Knowing Pidgeot was weak against Ice-type attacks, he hollered, "Fly up and out of the way, Pidgeot!"

However, though Pidgeot tried to dodge, it was still struck by the edge of Ludicolo's Blizzard, which clearly did some damage. Not as much as it would've been if the attack had been a direct hit, but enough damage to cause both Ash and Pidgeot to wince.

"That's right," Olive nodded. "I've trained Ludicolo to use Ice-type moves to better protect it against types it has a disadvantage against."

"Smart," Ash nodded in approval. "But not smart enough! Pidgeot, use Sand Attack!"

As the Flying-type mustered up a mighty, swirling Sand Attack, Olive and Ludicolo looked rather unphased, as the attack was about to make contact.

"Use Blizzard again, Ludicolo!" Olive shouted.

The two attacks met somewhere in the middle of the field, balancing each other out in such a manner that neither attack reached the target, and both attacks faltered to nothing. Ash clenched his fist, trying to think of a strategy, while Olive stood strong, hands on her hips, at the other end of the field.

"Okay, Pidgeot, try Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.

"Double Team!" Olive commanded in counter.

Pidgeot raced at Ludicolo, though there were about a dozen of them on the field now. Ash urged Pidgeot to attack all of them, which it did.

Just as contact was about to be made between the two Pokémon, Olive hollered, "Nature Power!"

Like Metronome, Nature Power wasn't a certain attack. But, both Trainers quickly saw that right as Ludicolo was hit by Pidgeot's Quick Attack, Pidgeot got a face full of the Stun Spore that Ludicolo's Nature Power ended up releasing. Ash, Olive and Daisy all watched with anticipation, waiting for the Stun Spore dust to clear, before they saw that both Pokémon were effectively knocked out.

"Both Pidgeot and Ludicolo are unable to battle!" declared the referee. "Both parties must now call out their second and last Pokémon!"

"Okay, Charizard, I choose you!" Ash called, throwing out his PokéBall. It was his attempt at thinking fast on his feet.

Chuckling, Olive said, "Your hasty thinking may not work out as well as you think, Ash! Just wait 'till you see my succulent second Pokémon! Let's finish this, Cradily!"

"Wow, a Cradily!" Daisy called with admiration from her place on the sidelines. Ash shoot her a look, which she blushed at, and then called, "But...go! Go Ash!"

"I thought Cradily was an ancient Pokémon!" Ash exclaimed.

"Oh, it is," Olive confirmed. "But I found a fossil of Lileep here when we were remodeling my Gym, which Professor Yew happily revived for me. We became best friends, and then Lileep evolved into the vigorous Cradily you see today!"

"Cool!" Daisy shouted, her eyes starry with awe. Then, once she again realized she should be cheering for Ash, she meekly added, "...But go Ash!"

Ash rolled his eyes, turning away from Daisy. Ready to begin battling, he first pulled out his PokéDex, which said: "Cradily, the Barnacle Pokémon. Cradily is believed to be able to extend its tree branch-like neck and catch prey with its tentacles."

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash called, starting things off.

Charizard roared, launching the stream of fire at its opponent, Cradily. It was a direct hit. However, because Cradily was part Rock-type, the attack didn't have the effect it would've on a pure Grass-type Pokémon, leaving Ash scrambling for a better strategy.

While Ash scrambled, Olive hollered, "Energy Ball, Cradily!"

"Quick, Charizard, dodge it!" Ash yelled.

Charizard dodged the attack, which triggered a chain of attacks and dodges between the two opposing Pokémon. Olive remained calm during the ordeal, but Ash didn't. Both Pokémon landed on their feet after attacking and dodging many times, both gasping for breath. They were already getting exhausted and had some scrapes and bruises from partial hits and risky dodges.

Just by looking at Charizard, Ash knew that it was running low on energy, and probably only had one last chance to win this. He was determined, and he had one last move that he thought to try. And if it worked - it could win the battle.

"Seismic Toss, Charizard!" Ash commanded.

Charizard had Cradily in its arms before Olive could call for her Pokémon to dodge or counter. Everyone in the room went silent, as Charizard flew around in circles, before plummeting back to the ground, slamming Cradily into the ground with great force. After the dust cleared, the result of the battle was clear - Ash and Charizard were the victors.

"Cradily is unable to battle!" announced the referee. "Charizard and its Trainer, Ash of Pallet Town, are the victors!"

Olive recalled her Pokémon, as Ash ran to hug and thank Charizard. Daisy ran out on the field to congratulate her new friend, and Olive came over with a smile.

"Great battle, Ash," she told him honestly, as the two shook hands. She pulled a badge from her pocket, in the shape of a four-leaf clover. Offering it to him, she added, "You deserve it, Ash. Here's your Lush Badge."

"Thank you, Olive," Ash nodded. He did his usual little dance and pose with his Pokémon, calling, "I just won my Lush Badge!"

However, this time, winning a badge didn't give him the same overwhelming joy that it usually did. He felt that the Abuna Region was different, and was going to be vastly different than all the other regions he'd battled through. And he didn't think that the battles would be the things that made Abuna so different and unsettling.


	7. Chapter 7

**So, chapter seven! Some secrets finally revealed! **

**Any predictions for what's coming next? I'd love to hear! I'd also love to hear who you want to end up shipped together! PS - All of Ash's companions from the anime will be making appearances :)**

**Send me in your reviews/predictions/feedback! I love hearing it! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Wow, I didn't know how much I missed your cooking, Peter," Ivy sighed dreamily, as she took another spoonful of the soup he'd made them for lunch. They'd decided to have a little picnic in the park after watching the local Pokémon Talent Show.

"Thanks," Peter grinned in response. "And I'm sure my Pokémon have missed your Pokémon food. You've always had a hand for making delicious Pokémon food."

"Oh, thanks," Ivy smiled. Pulling a large clear bag of PokéBlock from her backpack, she told him, "When I was in Hoenn, I learned how to make PokéBlock too! My Pokémon love it, why don't you let yours out too so they can try it?"

"Sure!" Peter agreed.

Ivy tossed out her PokéBalls, releasing Ivysaur, Gyarados, Arcanine and Dragonite, who were all happy to see or meet Peter. Then, he tossed out his PokéBalls, releasing Skarmory and Steelix, who were old friends of Ivy and Pikachu. Peter's family ran a Steel-type Gym in Mine Town, which he used to be the Gym Leader of, so his Steel-types were the oldest Pokémon he had. However, he threw out two other PokéBalls, releasing Pokémon of his that Ivy had never met before - Chansey and Audino.

"Wow," Ivy muttered. "You've got two new Pokémon?!"

"Uh-huh," Peter nodded. "They're my research assistants. I raised them from eggs back at school."

"That's awesome!" Ivy praised. Beaming at Peter's new Pokémon, she waved and introduced herself, "Hi guys! I'm Ivy, and old friend of Peter's. Nice to meet you!"

The two pink Pokémon seemed ecstatic to meet Ivy, and both immediately tackled her into a hug, knocking her to the ground as she laughed. Peter did, too. He knew better than anyone just how loving Chansey and Audino could be when they met someone he really liked. And he was glad that they already liked Ivy.

* * *

As Peter, Ivy and their Pokémon ate their lunch, Ash, Daisy and Pikachu had just exited the Gym. Just as Ash promised, they were going to meet up with Ivy, no matter how uneasy he felt about it. Daisy called up Ivy on her videophone watch, and found that she and a guy named Peter were having lunch in Grapevine Park with all their Pokémon. Daisy said she'd meet up with them there, and immediately perked up, seeming beyond excited to see her old friend.

She sprinted off, dragging Ash by the wrist as she did so. He was going with her because he had no choice, being dragged by the wrist and all. However, the prospect of seeing that Ivy again. There was something eerie about her...perhaps the fact that they looked so much alike. Seeing Ivy was like looking into a mirror, a mirror that reflected the girl version of himself. And something about that fact was weird, weird in a way that hit Ash in the pit of his stomach and made him almost feel like puking.

Finally, they made their way into Grapevine Park, where they immediately caught sight of Ivy, and the guy who Ash assumed was Peter. They were having lunch in the grass, surrounded by a bunch of Pokémon - Ivysaur, Gyarados, Arcanine, Dragonite, Skarmory, Steelix, Chansey, Audino, and of course, Ivy's Pikachu. Normally, Ash would've been in awe of all the Pokémon around them, but he just wasn't in the frame of mind for it. He was already feeling too uneasy at the sight of Ivy.

"Ivy!" screeched Daisy, sprinting towards her friend.

"Daisy!" Ivy hollered in return, as she rose from the ground and ran to meet Daisy with a hug.

The two girls squealed about how happy they were to see each other for what seemed like an eternity to Ash, before finally settling down and releasing each other. As soon as they did, Ivy's brown eyes locked in Ash's brown eyes, and they both stared at each other for a moment. Seeing this, Daisy took a step back, and decided to intervene.

"So, yeah...you guys already met," she mumbled awkwardly.

Seeing things were getting weird, Peter stood up, and decided to introduce himself.

"Hi there, I'm Peter Iron," he introduced, shaking Daisy's gloved hand. "And you must be Daisy Day. Ivy's told me a lot of nice things about you."

"Oh, that's me!" Daisy grinned, cheeks flushing as she shook Peter's hand. "Nice to meet you, Peter."

Then looking to Ash, Peter extended a hand, and the two boys shook as Peter said, "I'm sorry, I don't know who you are."

"I'm Ash," Ash piped up. "Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region."

Just as he said his last name, the other three humans froze, wide-eyed, and staring at him. Awkwardly, Ash looked back at them, wondering what he could've said to make them react in such a way.

"Um, guys?" he muttered. "Did I say something…?"

The three others glanced at each other, before Ivy verified, "You said your last name's Ketchum?"

"Yeah…," Ash nodded, wondering what in the world could be wrong with that.

Gulping, Ivy told him, "My last name is Ketchum."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight! The puzzle finally starts to fit together! **

**As always, I love to hear your thoughts on this fanfiction! I'd love to see what ships you'd like to see, which anime characters, and who Ivy should end up with romantically! Also, what do you think this business with Team Rocket and the New Legendary Pokémon has to do with Ash and Ivy? Tell me all your thoughts about these things in a review!**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

After a long, _long _silence, Daisy mumbled, "So...are you...siblings?"

Ash and Ivy remained silent, as they and their Pikachus stared at each other, trying to piece everything together. They looked so much alike that it was uncanny. They both had Pikachus. They both...had the same last name.

"Well," Peter gulped. "At the very least this means that you two are related. But...being siblings would explain why you two are nearly identical."

"So we're twins?!" Ivy inquired loudly, clearly overwhelmed.

"No, I'm not saying that," Peter said, trying to calm his friend down as he laid his hands on her shoulders. Looking back to Ash, he asked, "How old are you, Ash?"

"I'm...I'm sixteen," Ash stuttered, unable to stop staring at Ivy.

"Okay, and Ivy's fifteen," Daisy chimed in. "So you two aren't twins."

"But there's still a lot here to figure out," Peter said. "Ivy, why don't we pay a visit to your dad? He's got a lot of explaining to do."

The two Ketchums were still struck silent, so Peter and Daisy decided to take action for them. They caught the first bus back to Star City, and after an awkward two-hour bus drive, arrived in Ivy's hometown, and were off to her home.

David Ketchum, the father of Ivy, and now possibly Ash, was in his backyard, behind his Gym, training with his Pokémon. His loyal partner Sandslash was swimming, to decrease its weakness to water. Nidoqueen and Nidoking were in the midst of a friendly training wrestling session. His Donphan were practicing using their Rollout uphill. Marowak was practicing using his Bonemerang to chop down branches of the surrounding trees. Meanwhile, he was encouraging all of them, while Ivy's Phanpy followed him by his side.

"Great work, everyone!" David called out to all his beloved Pokémon. "Keep it up!"

David and Phanpy then turned around to go check on Marowak, and when he did, he caught a glance of four figures by his fence. It was Ivy, and her two friends Peter and Daisy, and a boy...a boy…_could it be? No. No. _

"Ivy, home so soon?" he hollered with a grin, as he and Phanpy approached the fence. He was trying to stay calm, even if the presence of the unknown boy...who also had a Pikachu on his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"Dad," Ivy called, with that brazenly determined attitude she got when there was something on her mind. With Pikachu on her shoulder and her egg in her arm, she hopped the fence in one, graceful, fluid motion, and approached her father fearlessly. She pointed a finger back at the unfamiliar boy, and asked, "Is he my brother?"

Realizing that he had to keep everyone calm, David suggested, "Why don't we all come inside to talk?"

Sheepishly, everyone agreed, with Ash and Ivy leading the way behind David as they went inside. He guided everyone to the living room, where they sat on the sofa around the coffee table, and David served them lemonade and cookies. Only Daisy got to eating and drinking, which she did in an extremely embarrassing manner, while everyone else was too tense to even think of eating or drinking, even Ash.

"Is your name Ash?" David inquired, as he took a seat in the armchair near the sofa.

"Um, yeah," Ash nodded, still overwhelmed by everything that seemed to be happening so, so quickly.

"Are you from Pallet Town, in Kanto?" David questioned.

"Uh-huh," Ash nodded again.

"And your mother's name is Delia, correct?" David inquired.

"Yeah," Ash replied, eyes widening in awe. _If Ivy's dad knew all of this...did that really mean that...he was his dad, too?_

"Hmph," David sighed. Arms crossed, he closed his eyes and leaned further into the armchair, and took a deep breath. Once he opened his eyes, he made one of the most defining statements of his life, saying, "Ash, Ivy...I'm just going to say it - you two are brother and sister."

A long silence passed, except for the noise of Daisy munching away on the cookies and slurping down her lemonade, before both Ash and Ivy decided to pipe up. In synch, they exclaimed, "Wait! What?! _HOW?!"_

David sighed once again, trying to remain cool and collected in the given situation. He asked, "Would you two like to hear the whole story?"

"Please," the two begged. Once again, they spoke in synch, much to each other's distaste.

"Alright," David agreed. "This is a long story. Are you prepared?"

"Yes," Ash and Ivy nodded. They were too in synch to stop now.

Once again, David took a deep breath and gathered himself together, before he began to tell the story.

"I was born and raised here in Abuna, right here in Star City, in this very house. My family was a Pokémon-loving family. My older brother, Ivy, your Uncle Damien, was a member of the Abuna Elite Four. My father was a renowned Pokémon Coordinator, and my mother ran the Star City Gym, as her family had for generations. So, naturally, I wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer as well when I got old enough. I got my starter Pokémon, a Vaporeon, from Professor Yew, the current Professor Yew's father, and started my journey.

I travelled the whole Abuna Region, with Vaporeon at my side. The first Pokémon I ever caught was a Sandshrew, who is now my Sandslash. Sandslash was my solid number two, but Vaporeon and I had the kind of bond that rarely forms between Trainer and Pokémon. We competed in the Abuna League and actually came in as runners-up, and from then on, we decided to travel the other regions to conquer all the Gym Leaders and Leagues.

After Abuna, we went to Hoenn, the Orange Islands, Sevii Islands, Sinnoh, and then, Kanto. By the time Vaporeon and I arrived in Kanto, I was no longer a boy, but a young man. Also, I'd begun to believe that Vaporeon and I were invincible; I'd gotten a bit of an ego. The first place I went in the Kanto Region was Professor Oak's lab, so I could pick up some of my Pokémon that had been transported there. On the way out, I literally ran into Delia - your mother - and I swear to Arceus, it was love at first sight. We were both young and dumb and in love, and I ended up staying in Pallet much longer than I had anticipated, because of Delia. Months later, I was still there with Delia, and suddenly, we found out that Ash was on the way.

So, we had a hasty wedding in Professor Oak's backyard about a week later. Ash, you came along not so long after that. I was happy, with a beautiful wife and new son, but I was restless. I still wanted to go on my journey, and Delia, your mother, sensed that. She urged me to go on, so I did, and made it all the way to the Kanto League. I became so wrapped up in my journey again, that I forgot about my new family back in Pallet Town, and went off to the Johto League. By the time I came back to Pallet, Ash, you were already a year old, and Ivy, you'd just been born, and I missed it.

Needless to say, Delia wasn't happy with me. She said she didn't want a thing to do with me anymore if I didn't care about her and you two. She'd even tried to call me in Johto to tell me about Ivy, and I didn't answer. She kicked me out of the house that night, and I was more angry than I'd ever been in my entire life.

I went out in Pallet and challenged a Trainer named TJ who had a 199 winning streak in battle, because I was just so mad that I needed to battle. But, TJ wiped out all my Pokémon, even Vaporeon, who was seriously injured. Of course, as you know, Pallet doesn't have a Pokémon Center. And, I didn't have Vaporeon's PokéBall - it hated being in there, so I'd lost it long ago. I tried to sprint to the Viridian City Pokémon Center, but it was too late - Vaporeon had already died before I left Pallet.

But, after losing my best friend, Vaporeon, and my family, I had no reason to stay in Pallet, or Kanto at all, for that matter. I talked things out with Delia, and we worked out an arrangement. Ash would live in Pallet with her, since you already had little friends there, and I would take Ivy with me, since I still wanted to be a father. Even though I still loved Delia, I left, with Ivy strapped to my chest, and finished my Pokémon journey through the regions as a young dad carrying his baby girl around. By the time you turned two, we'd come back to Star City, so I could take over the Gym. And that's the way things stayed, for the longest time. Ivy and I in Abuna, and Delia and Ash in Kanto. Until now."

"Dad," Ivy mumbled, seeing the pain in her father's eyes. As soon as she saw the tears form in his eyes, she rose and went over to embrace him. "Dad, c'mon, don't cry."

"I'm sorry," David replied, composing himself. "Ivy, I'm sorry I kept this all from you. And Ash, I'm sorry I was never around to be a father to you. But, I promise you, that if you want me in your life from this point on, I'll be there for you, 110%."

Ash took a moment to think for himself. He'd wondered about his father his whole life, and now everything, the whole story, was laid clean out in front of him. He found his sister and his father, together, just by chance, and he didn't know how he felt. Sure, a part of him felt relieved and joyous to finally find the missing pieces of his family, but it was still overwhelming. Still, he picked himself up off the sofa, and approached his father and sister.

"Alright," Ash nodded. David reached out a hand to shake, which Ash accepted. Father and son smiled at each other, as Ash said, "Dad."

Then, looking to Ivy, he added, "Sis."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 is here! Team Rocket's plan is revealed, as is Ash and Ivy's part in it all! I'd love to hear your thoughts/feelings/predictions on it!**

**What Ash ship would you like to see? Pokéshipping, Advanceshipping, Pearlshipping, Negaishipping or Amourshipping? **

**What Ivy ship would you like to see? Brock, Cilan, Clemont, and Gary are all scheduled to make appearances, and of course, there's Peter! **

**Thanks for all the reviews, keep 'em coming! They always make me smile and help motivate me to keep writing this fanfiction! I love hearing your thoughts, feelings and predictions about what I write and post on here! I genuinely want to thank everyone who's reviewed, especially the Guest reviewer who suggested new typings, which I will be using for the new legendary, Castrophus. **

**Anyway, here's Chapter nine. Enjoy!**

* * *

While Ivy, Ash and David phoned Delia back in Pallet, Team Rocket was busy working on their newest project. Dr. Zager, Jessie, James and Meowth, stood at the edge of a lake in central Abuna. The water was clear and sparkling, beneath a bright blue sky, in a lush, green forest that was full of life. It was a beautiful place, but it was more than obvious that Team Rocket intended to destroy all of the natural beauty for their own vain benefit.

"This is the place," Dr. Zager confirmed, as he worked away on a touch-screen computer device. "Yes...the target is definitely here."

"So how do we retrieve the target?" James inquired. Glancing at the computer device, he could see their target was at the bottom of the lake.

"That's what we need to figure out," Dr. Zager replied. "Well, we have it figured out - we must go by the old legend."

"Well, what's the old legend?" Jessie questioned.

"It's all in here," Dr. Zager responded, pulling out an ancient, leather-bound book. "Take a look while I plug in some more information."

In awe, Jessie, James and Meowth did as told, opening the old book to read the old Abuna legend. They read:

_Long, long ago, when Arceus was born from the chaos of nothing to create the universe, it created a counterpart to itself. Arceus was the Creator, therefore, it had to have created the Destroyer to offset itself. That's what Arceus did. After creating itself, it created Castrophus, the Destroyer. _

_Castrophus' job was to destroy all of the universe that Arceus had created when the time came. Both Pokémon would know when this time came, because the wickedness of people would be overwhelming to the universe, and the universe would no longer be able to balance the wickedness of people. So, when the two Pokémon sensed it was time, Castrophus would rise from its resting place, where it meditated while waiting, and ascend to the top of Olive Mountain, where it would rain chaos down on the rest of the world, to destroy it. _

_However, this process would be cyclical - for the wickedness of people would rise to incomprehensible levels every 10,000 years. Every 10,000 years, Castrophus would rise from its meditative state, ready to destroy the universe. And, every 10,000 years, Castrophus would be stopped from doing this by two siblings - a brother and sister. _

_Both brother and sister are extremely alike, and vastly different. They are both the heroes of many other tales in our world, and both travel with a yellow Pokémon partner. The boy is more brash, and he will be the one to sense the arrival of Castrophus and the first to find it. The girl is more caring and sensitive, and she will be the one to soothe Castrophus from its rage. Both siblings, who are both pure of heart and intentions, will be able to console Castrophus, by promising that people will not be so wicked and will again learn to live in harmony with all Pokémon. Castrophus will be appeased, and use its Special Ability to rain peace and harmony over the universe, before returning to its meditative state. People and Pokémon will live in peace for 10,000 more years, until the cycle repeats itself again. One day, though, both the siblings and Castrophus will agree that it is time for time to end - and will end it together. _

"Wow," Meowth breathed, in complete awe. "So dat's why we've been watchin' da twerp and da girl...dere supposed ta be da siblins' in da story?"

"Giovanni believes that is so," Dr. Zager chimed in, as the three focused their attention back on him. "So, we need to stop the two kids before they get to Castrophus."

"And what good would that do?" Jessie asked.

"If we stop them and get to Castrophus before they do," Dr. Zager began. "Then we will be in control of Castrophus, not them, and we can capture it. And everyone will have to do what we say, or else we can threaten to end the universe with Castrophus' powers. Team Rocket will have the ultimate power."

* * *

Later that evening, after everyone in the Ketchum family had time to process the facts, things had cooled off. David allowed the kids, including Daisy and Peter, to stay at his home overnight. Those two were already comfortable in their guest room - Daisy snoring her head off as she slept, while Peter studied by flashlight, highlighting terms in his textbook. David lay awake in his bedroom, staring at the ceiling.

Ivy and Ash were in her bedroom. Ivy and her egg and her Pikachu lay in her old bed, while Ash and Pikachu were in the little bed that pulled out from beneath Ivy's. They were both wide-awake, and unable to sleep. Ivy had her back to Ash, facing the window by her bed, staring out at the trees and stars around the house. Ash was on his back, hands behind his heads, like his father, staring at the ceiling, with Pikachu at his side. He noticed that Ivy had some of the same Pokémon posters that he did hanging in her room, and she had those glow-in-the-dark plastic stars stuck to her ceiling.

"Hey, Ash?" Ivy whispered into the darkness, rolling over to face her older brother.

"Yeah, Ivy?" Ash replied. It was obvious that the two were still feeling uncomfortable.

"How do you...how do you feel about all of this?" she asked meekly. "I mean...about finding out that we're siblings and everything…."

"It's…," Ash paused, trying to find the right word. "...Weird. I mean, not in a bad way...you know what I'm saying, it must be just as weird for you."

"I get it," Ivy nodded. "But...I've always wanted to have a sibling."

"Hey, really?" Ash smiled. "Me too."

"I guess this worked out for the best, then," Ivy concluded. A moment of silence passed, before Ivy said, again, "Hey, Ash?"

"Yeah, Ivy?" Ash repeated.

"You want to...well, to make it the least awkward that it can be, want to just pretend we've always known each other?" Ivy mumbled. "I mean, I know we have a lot to learn about each other and whatnot, but let's not make it weird. I want to be your sister, without it being all weird and awkward."

"Sure, Ivy," Ash agreed, smiling at his little sister through the dark. "We'll do our best not to be awkward. And I'll take a bullet for you."

"Same here, bro," Ivy laughed.

She dropped her hand over the edge of the bed, pinky extended. Understanding her gesture, Ash pinky-promised her, and the two went to bed with smiles and the feeling of a brother-sister bond beginning to form.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten! Leave reviews and let me know what you think, I love hearing your thoughts and reading your reviews more than you could ever imagine!**

Also, vote for who Ivy should end up being shipped with before it's too late! And remember to check out my other fics published on here, especially the new Pokémon one-shot romance series I just posted! Thanks! :)

* * *

After a couple of days of getting used to each other at their father's house in Star City, Ash and Ivy decided to join each other on their journeys. Sure, things were still a bit weird between the two, suddenly finding out that they were siblings, and all, but they wanted to make it work. They wanted to be brother and sister, for real, and they wanted to work through the awkwardness so they could be close. That's how siblings were supposed to be, right?

They left Star City, without either one of them challenging David, their father, to a Gym Battle. Ivy still wasn't sure if she really wanted to continue with Gym Battles, and there was something weird to Ash about battling the man who he found out was his father only a few days earlier. With Daisy and Peter at their sides, the two newfound siblings left town, heading to the next one. They were going to Valleyville, where Daisy, and possibly Ivy, were going to compete in the Pokémon Contest.

Little did they know, as the walked down the road leading away from David Ketchum's house, that they were both being watched.

"Sir, the boy and the girl are still together," James informed Dr. Zager, watching the blue and red dots travel along the map on his computer device.

"That's not a problem," Dr. Zager shrugged. He was still completely focused on whatever he was doing on his computer. "If they stay together, that'll only make it easier to take them both out of the way efficiently when the time comes."

"And when will that be?" Jessie inquired from behind her large sunglasses. "I've been itching to take the twerp down for years."

"Not yet," Dr. Zager answered. "We need them to find the target first. Without the boy, we can't find the target. We'll need to let them go on their own for a while before we capture them."

* * *

"So…," Ash drawled, trying to make conversation as he sat across from his new little sister in a café they found along the road. "Um, what kind of Pokémon is going to hatch from your egg, Ivy?"

"I don't know," Ivy smiled in response. She smiled whenever her brother spoke to her, a gesture that Ash couldn't reciprocate just yet. Laying a loving hand on her pink egg with white stars, she added, "Dad wouldn't tell me, since he wanted it to be a surprise. I don't really care what kind it is, I'll just be happy to meet it."

"I bet its gonna be _so _cute," Daisy sighed, dropping her chin in her palms as she moved super close to the egg in Ivy's arms. "Even the egg is adorable! Imagine what the little Pokémon's gonna look like!"

"Who says it'll be little?" Peter asked, sipping his coffee. "Pokémon even as big as Onix come out of eggs."

Rolling her eyes, Daisy said, "But obviously Ivy's egg isn't gonna be an Onix. Onix isn't pink...what Pokémon _are _pink, then?"

"Some Nidoran are pinkish," Ash piped up. "And there's Jigglypuff, Skitty, Clefairy, Hoppip, Happiny, Munna, Slowpoke, Audino…"

"Ugh, I don't want it to be a Slowpoke!" Daisy shrieked, sticking her nose in the air. "They're not cute!"

"Well, I wouldn't mind having a Slowpoke," Ivy shrugged.

"But you already have a Water-type," Daisy replied. "You have Gyarados, remember?"

"Yeah," Ivy nodded. "I can't have two of the same type?"

"You have a Gyarados?" Ash inquired. "That's a Kanto Pokémon."

"Mhm," Ivy nodded again. "Gyarados may look scary, but it's actually one of the sweetest things."

"Really?" Ash asked, cringing along with his Pikachu. He couldn't imagine a sweet Gyarados. Slightly changing the subject, he inquired, "What other Pokémon do you have?"

"I have Gyarados, Arcanine, Ivysaur, and Dragonite with me, along with Pikachu and my egg," Ivy answered.

"Wow, that's a pretty strong lineup," Ash praised.

"Thanks!" Ivy grinned. "What about you?"

"Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Pidgeotto, Charizard, Wartortle and Muk are with me," Ash responded. "I decided to bring along my earliest-caught Pokémon."

"Cool!" Daisy chimed in. With a glance of realization, she then asked, "I don't think you guys, Ash and Peter, have met my Pokémon yet, have you?"

Both of the boys shook their heads, and said, "No."

"Alright!" Daisy shrieked, ecstatically leaping from her seat. Thank god they were sitting on the patio of the cafe, because Daisy was making quite the scene as she tossed out five Pokéballs and announced, "Here come all my shining stars!"

Ivy rolled her eyes, as the boys watched Daisy's Pokémon emerge from their Pokéballs. She had Swampert, Skitty, Jolteon, Vulpix and Roselia with her, all of which joined their Trainer in striking eccentric poses, like they were at some sort of photoshoot. The ridiculous spectacle caused everyone else to grin and laugh awkwardly, not exactly knowing how else to react.

"Well they look healthy," Peter complimented. "You've obviously raised them well."

"Thanks!" Daisy beamed. Pulling out the Pokéballs again, she said, "C'mon back guys! You'll get to meet everyone some more later!"

Just as quickly as she'd gotten up, she sat back down.

"I hope it's a Hoppip," Daisy said suddenly, deciding to talk about the egg again. Then, tracing her fingers around one of the stars on the it, she added, "That would be adorable."

"Hey, Daisy, I think you're forgetting that it's not your egg," Peter said. "So, Hoppip or not, you're gonna have to live with it."

Almost as soon as Peter finished speaking, the egg started glowing in Ivy's arms. Everyone shut up, including the two Pikachus, who'd been playing together under the table. The two yellow Pokémon leapt up onto their Trainer's shoulders', as their eyes grew as wide as everyone elses', watching the egg glow more and more intensely as each second passed.

"It's...hatching," Daisy mumbled in awe.

"Wow," Ash muttered.

"Amazing," Peter commented.

And, before they knew it, a little Pokémon had been born before their eyes. Ivy welcomed it into the world with a big hug and kiss, while Daisy's eyes glazed over with hearts as she saw it.

"IT'S _SO _CUTE!" she shrieked. "I LOVE IT!"

* * *

**So...what kind of Pokémon do you think hatched from Ivy's egg? Leave your guesses below as well!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11! Remember to leave comments, predictions, ships you'd like to see, etc. I just love hearing from you guys!**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

As Ivy squished and cuddled her new, happy, and undeniably adorable Pokémon, Ash pulled out his Pokédex for reference. It told him: "Cleffa, the Star Shape Pokémon. Cleffa is the pre-evolved form of Clefairy. Their star shape has led some to believe that they reach the Earth riding on shooting stars. Strangely, many Cleffa are often found on nights of meteor showers."

"Wow, so it's a Fairy-type!" Daisy shrieked, her eyes still glazed over with stars.

"Hi there, Cleffa," Ivy grinned down at the Pokémon, as she set it back on the table before her. Pikachu leaned down over her shoulder, to smile at their new friend, as Ivy added, "I'm Ivy, and this is Pikachu. We're both very happy to meet you and we're sure we're going to be the best of friends."

"Cleffa!" the little pink Pokémon beamed, leaping back into Ivy's arms. Nuzzling against her cheek, it continued, "Cleff, Cleffa, Fa, Cleff!"

With a slight grin, Peter dropped his chin in his palm, as his elbow propped it up on the table, and said, "Y'know, Cleffa is also a Baby Pokémon, which means that the first thing they see when they hatch, person or Pokémon, they believe is their mother. So Cleffa probably already thinks Ivy is it's mom."

"Oh, yeah," Ash nodded. "My friend Misty had a Togepi like that."

"Exactly," Peter confirmed. "Togepi is another Baby Pokémon."

"Good thing I have bottles, Miltank Milk and Pokémon formula," Ivy smiled. "I brought them just in case the Pokémon would end up wanting them."

"IT'S JUST SO CUTE!" Daisy hollered again, unable to contain herself as she sprung from her seat. "CAN I HOLD IT, _PLEASE, _IVY?!"

"Um, sure," Ivy replied, gently holding out Cleffa towards her friend.

Immediately, Daisy hugged it, squishing the poor little Pokémon right up against her face. And, almost immediately as she did so, Cleffa began to cry hysterically, tears like faucets shooting out of its eyes as its face contorted with sobs.

"Ah!" Daisy exclaimed, confused and nervous now. Rocking the Pokémon in her arms, she mumbled, "Don't cry, c'mon, Cleffa, don't cry, you're okay, you're with Aunt Daisy!"

"I don't think its you, Daisy," Peter piped up. "I think Cleffa might be hungry. It just hatched, after all. Why don't you get a bottle ready for it, Ivy?"

"Sure thing," she nodded. She pulled a baby bottle and a bottle of Miltank Milk from her bag, poured it into the bottle, and tested out the temperature on her wrist. She stood, took Cleffa from Daisy, and the Pokémon stopped crying and started giggling as soon as it was in Ivy's arms.

"There you go," Ivy grinned. Putting the bottle closer to the to Cleffa's mouth, she urged, "It's okay, this is good. It's food, go ahead, try it."

Cleffa listened, and started taking the bottle happily.

"Pikachu!" her spiky-haired Pikachu exclaimed in adoration, as it beamed down at its new little friend.

Furiously disappointed, Daisy turned, arms crossed, and mumbled, "_Why can't Cleffa like me?!"_

* * *

Not too long after Cleffa finished eating, the group had paid and left the café, back on the road towards Valleyville. Ivy carried Cleffa in her arms, with her Pikachu in its usual position on her shoulder. She and the boys were all still going crazy for the new cutie, but Daisy had given up, standing to the side with her arms crossed. She was just mad that Cleffa didn't like her as much as it seemed to like everyone else.

"Hey, do you guys want to stop and take a break for lunch here?" Peter inquired, as they came upon a river.

"Sounds great," Ash agreed. "And this would be a great place to let all the Pokémon out for some fun."

"Yeah," Ivy nodded. With one hand, she took her Pokéballs out, tossed them, and called, "C'mon out for a nice afternoon, everyone!"

"You too, guys!" Ash hollered, tossing out his Pokémon.

"You deserve some fun, too!" Peter chimed in, tossing out his four Pokéballs.

"You too," Daisy added dully, half-heartedly releasing her Pokéballs.

Before them, a bunch of happy-looking Pokémon materialized. Ivy's Gyarados, Dragonite, Arcanine and Ivysaur, Ash's Bulbasaur, Wartortle, Charizard, Pidgeot and Muk, Peter's Skarmory, Steelix, Audino and Chansey, and Daisy's Swampert, Skitty, Vulpix, Roselia and Jolteon, were all already meeting and greeting each other.

"How are we ever supposed to capture the twerp and his sister if they have all those damn Pokémon?" Jessie inquired, as she and her partners watched the group through binoculars.

"Well, we could just capture da Pokémon for Team Rocket," Meowth suggested.

"Like that's ever worked before," James scorned. "Besides, that's not the point anyway. The only Pokémon that could be of interest would be the Pikachus and possibly the girl's Dragonite, but the rest are nothing special."

"It looks like...what's that in the girl's arms?" Jessie asked, peering more closely. Suddenly becoming infatuated with what she was seeing, she asked, "Is that adorable little munchkin a Pokémon?!"

"Why, yes, it is," James confirmed. "I believe it's called a Cleffa, the pre-evolved form of Clefairy."

"Oh!" she shrieked, becoming just as in awe of the little pink Pokémon as Daisy had. "If I had that adorable little pink peewee I'd just die! James, I have to have it!"

Rolling his eyes, James asked, "Didn't we just talk about restraining ourselves from stealing the Pokémon? We've got to keep undercover until it's time."

"James," Jessie spat maniacally, grabbing him so hard by the collar that he nearly choked and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "I am a very humble, and beautiful, girl, and I rarely ask for anything. Now all I'm asking you is to steal a little, itty bitty, _adorable _Pokémon for my own personal cutie pie, and you won't do it?!"

"Fine," James gasped, as Jessie released him. "We'll get you the Cleffa."

"Alright!" Jessie squealed happily. Leaping to her feet, she commanded, "Now let's go collect that cutie!"

"But Jess, Jimmy, we ain't got any Pokémon with us!" Meowth reminded them. "And we ain't got any fancy equipment on us for Pokémon catchin'!"

"Ugh, _fine,"_ Jessie groaned, realizing that Meowth was right. "But as soon as we get Pokémon, we're catching that little cutie."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve! As usual, leave comments, predictions, and thoughts below, I love hearing them! If you like the story, like it or add to favorites to stay updated!**

**What kind of Pokémon do you think will hatch from Daisy's egg? What do you think of Cleffa? What about Team Rocket? **

**What character would you like to become Ivy's love interest? (any anime characters eligible)**

**Let me know!  
Enjoy! :)**

* * *

While everyone else was having fun, eating lunch, and playing with Pokémon, Daisy sat sulking in the shade of a tree. She knew she was being stupid, but now that she'd seen and met Ivy's Cleffa, she'd become undeniably jealous. She loved cute Pokémon and she wanted every cute Pokémon, ever.

She picked Mudkip as her starter because it was so damn cute, and even though it had now evolved into the much less adorable Swampert, she loved it to death. She chased Vulpix for weeks trying to catch it because she couldn't get that cute little face out of her head. She worked hard for Roselia's trust to catch it, because she was so in love with its adorable face, grace and power. She worked hard to win a Contest in Kanto where the prize included an Eevee egg, because all Eevee and its evolutionary forms were the cutest, including Jolteon, which her Eevee had evolved into. And, she'd turned the Hoenn forests upside down in search of a Skitty, one of the cutest Pokémon ever, in her opinion.

She knew she couldn't have Cleffa, and it wasn't like she wanted to take it away from Ivy, who was, honestly, her best friend in the world. She just wanted one of her own. At the very least, she wanted Ivy's to like her, and she couldn't control her jealousy as she watched Ivy toss a giggling Cleffa in the air and catch it, only to hug it close to her face.

Daisy may have been sulking, but everyone else was having a ball.

Ash, who found that his sister's Gyarados was actually a total sweetheart, rode up and down the river, standing on the Pokémon's head as he hung onto the crest there, Pikachu laughing along on his shoulder. Peter was currently engulfed in Muk's mucky body, in one of it's infamous hugs. Ivy set Cleffa down on the ground so it could meet Peter's Audino and Chansey, who immediately started mothering the Pokémon. Chansey even removed the egg in its' pouch, handed it to Audino, and placed Cleffa in its pouch, petting its head as the three Pokémon and Ivy smiled. All the other Pokémon seemed beyond happy to be playing with each other, as Dragonite, Charizard and Skarmory raced across the sky, while Bulbasaur and Ivysaur had a playful wrestling match with their vines. Swampert and Wartortle compared how high they could aim their Hydro Pumps. Skitty playfully nipped at Arcanine's fluffy, as Vulpix seemed to be blushing up at the larger Fire-type. Pidgeot took Jolteon on its' back for a sky-high ride, as Roselia, being its normal self, napped in a patch of long grass.

Then, Daisy spotted it - a bright, shiny green egg, sitting all by itself, in the long grass by Roselia.

And she knew she had to have it.

* * *

"Ugh, I'm sick of looking!" Jessie screeched, furious. They'd been wandering the woods for about five minutes, but it felt like an hour to her. "Where are all the damn Pokémon around here?!"

"Well, no Pokémon are going to come around if you keep hollering like that," James scolded in a hushed tone.

By some sort of miracle, or just another one of the strange coincidences in the Pokémon world, a Pokémon just happened to wander out of the bushes as soon as James stopped speaking.

"What's that Pokémon?" Jessie asked, as they watched the little thing stumble around.

"Why, that's a Gothita," James answered. "It looks injured, or weak."

"Hm," Meowth muttered. "Lemme go talk to it."

So, that's what Meowth did, as Jessie and James watched a few feet off. Finally, Meowth turned around to translate.

"This here Gothita hasn't eaten in a coupla days," he said. "It's starvin', and has been lookin' for food. That's why it's so weak. It says it'll do anything to fill it's belly."

"Even willing to be captured?" Jessie inquired.

Meowth looked back at Gothita, who nodded yes furiously.

"Hm, I have some Pokémon food right here," James mused, pulling a can from his small bag. Kneeling to the little Pokémon, he offered, "Here you go."

"Goth!" the Pokémon screeched, devouring the whole can in mere seconds. As soon as it was finished, it took it upon itself to grab a Pokéball from James' pocket and let itself inside, way too easily allowing itself to be caught.

"Well," James muttered, staring at the enlarged Pokéball in his hand. "That was easy."

"Whatever," Jessie scoffed. "Can we go get my Cleffa now?"

"We really have to do that?" James whined. "The twerps have overpowered Pokémon and I'm really not in the mood to get pummeled by them today."

"Isn't that why you caught that Gothita in the first place?!" Jessie hollered. "I don't care if you get pummeled by the twerps' Pokémon, I just want my little cutie!"

"Fine," James and Meowth sighed, knowing they had to obey her to avoid her wrath.

* * *

"Where the hell did that egg come from?" Peter asked, suddenly noticing the green egg Daisy was cuddling.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at her. She looked back at them with overdramatic innocence.

"I found it," she informed them. Pointing a finger, she added, "Over there, in the grass, all alone. It needs a mother too."

"But it probably already has a mother, Daisy," Peter tried to explain. "You can't just _take _Pokémon eggs that you find in the wild!"

"Why not?" she inquired.

"Because its real mother is probably on her way back here to get it, and a Pokémon mother will not be happy to find that a teenage human has abducted her egg," Peter shot. "Just put it back!"

"No!" Daisy wailed, hugging the egg even closer to her in defense. "Ivy had an egg and I want one too! Now I found one and it's mine!"

Ash and Ivy shrugged at each other, not knowing what else to do.

"But Ivy didn't take hers from the woods," Peter replied. "Her dad got it for her, probably from a verified Pokémon ranch."

"Whatever," Daisy shrugged, sticking her nose in the air. "I'm keeping the egg, and you can't stop me."

Looking over his shoulder at Ivy, Peter asked, "Can't you explain this to her?"

Shrugging again, ivy responded, "There's no explaining things to Daisy when she gets her her mind set on something."

Peter crumbled. He hated not being able to rationalize with people. It was one of his biggest pet peeves, people who wouldn't listen to

him, especially when it came to rationalization.

Before anyone could say anything else, they heard a group of people reciting a motto of sorts, that was particularly familiar to Ash.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evil of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars of above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"REALLY?!" Ash screamed, just as exasperated as his Pikachu was. "You idiots followed me to Abuna too?!"

"Ash, who are these people?" Ivy asked, leaning closer to her brother.

"And how the hell is that Meowth talking?" Peter inquired.

Sighing, Ash explained, "That's Team Rocket. They're just some idiot criminals who always are trying to steal Pokémon."

"You're not gonna take our Pokémon!" Daisy hollered, shaking her fist with the arm her egg wasn't in.

"Don't worry, farm girl," Jessie brushed off. "We don't want _your _Pokémon."

"We're not even after that Pikachu," James piped up.

"All I want is that little cutie in the girl twerp's arms," Jessie said, pointing a finger. "Hand it over. It's going to be my personal pet! I just can't resist how cute it is!"

"My Cleffa?" Ivy asked. "No way."

"Then we'll have ta take it from ya!" Meowth screeched. "Show 'em, Jimmy!"

"Alright," James nodded, pulling out a Pokéball. "Gothita, go!"

Just as his newly caught Pokémon emerged from its Pokéball, Ash aimed its Pokédex at it, which said: "Gothita, the Fixation Pokémon. Gothita watches Pokémon and Trainers with an intense stare. Its bow-like feelers amplify its Psychic powers."

"Gothita, use Psybeam!" James hollered.

As Gothita launched the attack, Ivy called, "Dragonite, use Protect!"

The large orange dragon roared as it leapt in front of the group, putting up a protective shield that easily deflected Gothita's attack. James, Gothita and Meowth all winced. They knew this would be a failure before it began, but now it was really going downhill.

"NO!" Jessie shrieked, stomping her foot. "Stop hiding behind Protect and fight us like real Trainers!"

"Fine," Ash and Ivy agreed, smirking at each other.

As if the siblings could read each other's minds, they each launched their Pikachus into the air, as they commanded, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

The two Pikachus linked hands to strengthen their electric attacks, and screamed their name as they sent powerful electric bolts at Team Rocket. As usual, they were fried, but this time, with twice the strength and power. The subsequent explosion caused the three, and newly recruited Gothita, to go flying into the air.

Just like the old days, the screamed, "We're blasting off again!"

"Well," Ivy sighed, as she watched them disappear into the sky. When her and Ash's Pikachus landed back on their shoulders, she added, "They suck at Pokémon stealing."

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "But I just have feeling that they're up to something else besides stealing Cleffa."


	13. Chapter 13

**So I know it's been awhile, but here's another chapter! Please remember to tell me your thoughts, which I love hearing, and which ships you'd like to see! Who do you want Ash shipped with? What about Ivy?**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The morning after getting rid of Team Rocket, Peter, Ivy, Ash and Daisy finally arrived in Valleyville for the Contest. As soon as they arrived, they saw hordes of Coordinators, dressed in their finest Contests clothing, with their beautified Pokémon by their side. Immediately, excitement began to pump through Daisy and Ivy's veins as they took in the sight and realized that, yes, they'd actually be competing in this Contest in just a couple of hours.

"I'm so excited!" Daisy squealed, as she latched onto Ivy's arm. "We're finally here! Can you believe it, Ivy?"

"I can," Ivy laughed, clutching Cleffa in the arm Daisy wasn't attached to. "We should go check in so we can get changed before the Contest."

After he'd finished gawking at all the fancy-dressed Coordinators, Ash asked, "So, everyone here in Abuna dresses up for Contests?"

"Yup," Ivy nodded. "Some regions do, some don't. Abuna does. Daisy and I are gonna go in and get ready. You guys can meet us in there - here are a couple of passes to get you into the Contest and that'll let you come behind the scenes if you need us. You boys think you can handle that?"

"I think so," chuckled Peter, accepting the four laminated passes from her, since they had extras. "I'll keep an eye on Ash for you."

"Hey!" Ash griped, as Peter playfully ruffled his hair through his hat.

"Before we go, can you hold my egg, Peter?" Daisy asked. However, before he could answer, Daisy had already shoved the green egg in his arms, and then squealed, "Thanks!"

"Oh, yeah, could you watch Cleffa, Ash?" Ivy chimed in, extending the little pink Pokémon towards her brother. "I think he's still too little to come with me."

"He?" Ash inquired, taking Cleffa into her arms.

"Oh yeah," Ivy nodded. "Cleffa's a boy."

"Hm," Ash pondered. He held the Baby Pokémon above his head, clearly trying to look for evidence of its gender, until Ivy slapped him.

"Don't do that!" she scolded.

Oblivious, Ash asked, "Well, I wanted to see. How else are you supposed to know if it's a boy?"

"I looked at my Pokédex, you dufus!" Ivy informed him.

"Oh," Ash nodded.

He shifted Cleffa in one arm, took his Pokédex out, and pointed it. Sure enough, the screen read: _This Cleffa is MALE._

"Arceus, please keep an eye on him Peter," Ivy groaned.

"I will," Peter assured his friend, chuckling.

Meanwhile, Daisy was getting jealous again, at the fact that Cleffa didn't burst out in tears in Ash's arms. Quite the opposite, actually. Ash tickled Cleffa's belly, earning giggles from the cutest Pokémon on Earth, while Pikachu made funny faces that brought one of the biggest smiles to Cleffa's face.

"Let's go!" announced Daisy, while she snatched her friend's arm, and started tugging her towards the Contest Hall.

"Be good!" Ivy hollered over her shoulder, while being dragged by Daisy "That means both of you!"

"We'll be good!" the boys assured her in unison, as they waved the girls off.

Once the girls were out of sight, it didn't take Ash long to spot a food cart selling breakfast sandwiches, and he almost immediately started drooling, as did Pikachu. Before Peter could stop him, Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder and Cleffa in his arms, sprinted off right towards the food.

While Ash was waiting not-so-patiently in line for a breakfast sandwich, someone unexpected approached him. That someone was Brock.

Feeling the hand that had been laid on his shoulder, Ash turned, and saw his old friend standing by him with a smile, and a beam of his own broke out on his face.

"Brock!" he exclaimed, as the two exchanged a brotherly hug. Upon letting go, Ash then asked, "What're you doing here?"

"Well, I was back in Pallet a week or so ago and I stopped by your place to see if you were there," Brock began. "Obviously you weren't, but you mom let me in for lunch. She told me that you came to Abuna, and the whole story about your sister and everything...and since I had some time off from school, I thought I'd come up here to see you. Plus, there's a great Pokémon Doctor in Flax City that offered me an internship in the fall, so I figured I could waste some time between now and then and catch up with you."

"Awesome!" Ash replied. "It's great to see you again."

"Good to see you too, buddy," Brock responded. He reached out to Pikachu to give it a scratch on the head, as he added, "It's been a long time, huh? Seems like you were just a ten year old kid from Pallet and I just left the Pewter Gym."

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "Now I'm _so _close to becoming and Pokémon Master and you're almost a doctor. Crazy stuff."

"I know," Brock nodded. He then gave Cleffa a good scratch on the head, earning a happy giggle from the pink Pokémon, and he asked, "Is this Cleffa yours?"

"Oh, no, he's Ivy's," Ash told him. "My...my sister's."

"Ah," Brock acknowledged. Looking around them, he asked, "So, where is she? I'd love to meet the female Ash Ketchum, the long lost sister."

"She's actually competing in the Contest, with her friend Daisy," Ash answered. "They're inside already, getting dressed and whatever else girls do before their Contest."

Interrupting the conversation, a breathless Peter finally caught up to Ash. He skidded to a halt, still holding Daisy's green egg close to his chest. When he did, he opened his mouth as if he was going to speak, but immediately closed it upon seeing Brock.

"Oh, Peter, this is Brock, an old friend of mine," Ash piped up, introducing the two. "And Brock, this is Peter, one of Ivy's friends and one of my travelling companions."

"Hi there," Brock said, extending a hand to shake. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Peter grinned in response.

"Hey, so, do you want to come watch the Contest with us, Brock?" Ash asked. "Daisy and Ivy gave us passes, and we have a couple extra, so you can come if you want."

"I'd love to," Brock nodded.

Before anyone could speak up, Ash's stomach let out a thunderous growl, causing him to wince a bit and grin in an embarrassed fashion.

"Well, I guess we can't go in before Ash eats," Peter chuckled.

* * *

Behind the scenes at the Contest Hall, all the Coordinators were lined up, readying themselves. The action was beginning in about five minutes. Currently, the host, Katherine, was introducing the judges, as she always did. And Daisy was right behind the curtain, ready to make her entrance. She was Coordinator #1 and her stomach was overcrowded with Butterfree and nerves.

Taking a deep breath, she smoothed out the skirt of her baby blue skirt lined with pink lace that matched her hair, which she was wearing down, in tight ringlets. Her top, with puffy short sleeves, matched the baby blue of her skirt, to give the appearance of a dress. Her ballet flat shoes were the same bubblegum color as her hair and the lace of her skirt, pulling her outfit together. She clutched a Pokéball so tightly in her right hand that it seemed as though it'd break.

Finally, she heard Katherine announce, "And now, please welcome our first contest, Daisy, from Mauville City in the Hoenn Region!"

Well, it was now or never.

The curtain opened before her, as the crowd roared, and Daisy stepped daintily into the spotlight at the center of it all. She smiled up at the crowd who seemed to be loving it, and caught a glimpse of Ash and Peter and a boy she didn't know sitting up in the seats, cheering her on. She hoped she didn't screw up or make a fool of herself in front of Ash and Peter. They were both so damn cute that she didn't want to mess up her chances with either of them.

"Alright, Swampert, time to shine!" Daisy called, doing a ballerina-like twirl as she released her Pokéball.

"Swamp!" the blue Pokémon exclaimed, as it swirled regally to the floor and struck a regal pose.

"Swampert, use Water Gun!" Daisy commanded, looking both elegant and powerful as she did so.

The Pokémon obeyed, doing another ballerina-like twirl as it shot water into the air, creating a swirling vortex of gleaming water over its head, just like they'd practiced.

"Now, use our special combination!" Daisy requested.

They'd prepared this combination for Contests and worked hard on it. In anticipation, Daisy watched as Swampert released a dazzling Blizzard into the air, an attack they'd worked harder than ever to learn. The snow swirled and danced about the Hall, allowing the light to reflected on it in a beautiful way. Then, Swampert used Scald, and as the hot water collided with the cold Blizzard, heavy steam washed over the stage, hiding both Pokémon and Trainer. When it cleared, it revealed Swampert holding Daisy up in the air in a cheerleader-esque pose, surrounded by Swampert's protect.

Needless to say, the impressive performance earned praise from the judges and awe from the crowd.

Walking offstage, Daisy felt relief, but only momentarily. Now she had to worry about if she was good enough to go to the next round or not, and what she would do if she was.

"You were amazing!" Ivy praised, as she collided into Daisy with a hug. "That was awesome! You and Swampert were great!"

"Thanks," Daisy replied, doing her best to act humble. "I'm gonna go back to watch the others from the TV, so good luck."

"Thanks," Ivy grinned. "See you soon!"

"See you!"

Daisy left, leaving Ivy to wait her turn to go on stage. Ivy was in her Contest best just like Daisy was. She wore a red dress with blue spaghetti straps and a blue bow tied around her waist, accentuating her now more womanly figure. Her hair was down, wavy and shiny, and she wore blue kitten heels with red bows on the toe, along with a pearl necklace. She always looked way girlier for Contests than she did at any other given time in her life.

Ivy's turn came fast, and she walked onstage, cool as a cucumber. She was rarely, if ever, nervous, something that Daisy greatly admired and was jealous of.

Coming into the spotlight, Ivy gracefully pulled her Pokéball out from behind her back, as she called, "Gyarados, I choose you!"

The great blue Pokémon danced through the air upon its release, landing elegantly in the center of the stage. The crowd already seemed excited.

"Combine Aqua Tail with Twister!" Ivy told Gyarados.

The intimidatingly beautiful Pokémon did so, releasing water from its tail as it spun in a circle violently and beautifully, causing an awe-inducing swirling fountain effect. Then, Gyarados leapt into the air, leaving a swirling whirlpool of powerful water back on the stage.

"Dragon Rage!" Ivy called.

In mid-air, Gyarados spun like a dancer, releasing the attack. The purplish-blue dragon streak ran into the middle of the whirlpool, causing the water to explode and create a rainbow over the stage when it collided with the light. The crowd gasped in awe at the sight, and when the duo took their bows, the judges showered them with praise and compliments, before the two made their exit.

The judges began their deliberation.

Meanwhile, up in the stands, Brock commented, "Wow, your sister's a really talented Coordinator."

"Yeah, she is," Ash agreed, a bit in awe himself. He figured Ivy would be good, but, damn she was amazing.

"But she and Daisy both look like they have some fierce competition," Peter sighed. "There's a lot of talent here today."

"Mhm," Brock nodded.

"Okay, and now we're going to announce the ten trainers going onto the second stage!" said Katherine through her headset microphone. She gestured to the large screen, which was shuffling through all of the Coordinators' pictures, and as each face popped up, she called the name. "Patrick! Lucy! Clara! Jack! Pauline! Caleb! Naomi! Hannah! Oliver! And last, but not least…"

* * *

**So, how do you feel about Brock making his first appearance? Have any predictions or wishes for his role in the story? **

**Also, who will go on to the next round of the Contest? Ivy or Daisy, or neither of them?**

**Leave all your comments and predictions for me to read, I love hearing from you guys!**

**Thanks for all the continued support! **


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